The China Doll

The doll stood high on the shelf holding a brightly painted fan. Mom said she was Oriental and that her pink dress was called a kimono. Rosie thought she was beautiful. She hoped very much that she could have that little doll. Mom had said that maybe, just maybe it could be hers as a reward someday.

“Can I hold her?” Rosie looked down at her little sister. She hadn’t noticed when Emma came in, and now the little hands were reaching up for the doll.

“Oh, no, Emma,” Rosie said. “She is a china doll and might break.”

“But I’d be very careful. I just want to feel her pretty dress and look at her fan,” Emma said.

“Mommy said we shouldn’t touch her,” Rosie said, and turned from the shelf. “Why don’t we go ride our bikes?” She was glad when Emma followed her outside. It would be better to forget the doll for now.

Emma’s bike was broken, so Rosie offered to give her a ride. “Sit behind me and hold on tight,” Rosie said. The bicycle seat just fit them both, but it was hard to keep balanced. It wavered back and forth down the driveway. Rosie peddled faster and made a big turn. Suddenly the pedals jammed and the bike screeched and fell over. Rosie’s elbow hurt, but Emma was screaming like her leg was broken.

“Where are you hurt?” Rosie asked as she tried to get her little sister out of the wreck. Emma only screamed louder and reached for her foot. It had caught in the chain and was cut and bloody. Mother and Irene were there in a moment and soon were carrying Emma inside. Rosie followed behind, nervously.

“Will she be okay?” she asked Irene when she came out of the bathroom.

“Mom thinks she’ll need stitches,” Irene said soberly. “Her foot is cut pretty bad.” Mother carried Emma out with her foot wrapped in a wet cloth. She was only whimpering now, but her face was very pale. The others crowded around and Chad offered to carry her to the car.

“We’ll be back after a little bit,” Mother said, as she followed Chad out the door. “Thank the Lord, it isn’t very deep.”

No one paid any attention to Rosie as she walked slowly to the sink to wash off her scrapes. Her elbow stung terribly and she brushed away a tear as she curled up in Daddy’s chair. When will Mom come back? she wondered.

But when Mother did return, she just called, “Girls, why don’t you fix the couch up for Emma to lie on. She’ll need to keep off of her foot for awhile.” Rosie carried pillows and blankets to Irene and she made a cozy bed on one end of the couch. Chad laid Emma down and she smiled up at them.

“I got four stitches and a butterfly Band-Aid,” she told Rosie importantly.

“Does it hurt badly?” Rosie asked as she looked at the foot poking out of the covers.

Emma shook her head. “Not too much, after Mommy prayed for it.”

The rest of that day Emma seemed like a little queen, sitting on her throne. Chad read her stories and Irene baked her favorite cookies. Daniel even found a praying mantis to show her. But Rosie stayed away. She didn’t think it was fair that Emma got all the attention.

The next day wasn’t any better. While Emma was taking a nap Irene called Rosie to the back room. “Mom said we could give her the little oriental doll. She likes it so much and I think she will be very careful with it. You can help me wrap her up.”

Rosie put her hands behind her back and shook her head. “I don’t want to,” she murmured. Her heart seemed to have sunk to her shoes and she wanted to cry. Irene didn’t say anything as she reached up for the little black-haired doll. Its silk dress shone and the slanting eyes seemed to smile a good-bye to Rosie as she disappeared into the tissue paper.

It isn’t fair! She is my doll! Rosie’s lip trembled as she ran from the room. She wanted to find some place to go and cry, but Mother met her in the doorway.

“What is the matter, Rosie?” she asked gently. Rosie shook her head and turned away. Mother didn’t really care. All she liked was Emma. “I think Emma will enjoy the doll most right now,” Mother said quietly. “She can’t run around and play like you can.”

Rosie felt frozen, and her heart felt like a stone. How can Mom say that? She knows I always wanted that doll! When she felt Mother’s hand on her cheek she pulled away and fled outside.

Rosie found a tire in the shed to sit on. Everything was dark and gloomy, and she let herself cry a long time. She cried because no one cared how she felt, and she cried because she couldn’t have the doll. But when she thought of her little sister with a bandaged foot, Rosie stopped. She wouldn’t cry for her. Not for such a little selfish, greedy girl like Emma. Not when that beautiful, beautiful doll would be broken and ruined forever. That horrible thought squeezed all the joy out of Rosie’s heart and made her feel like choking.

A light shone across the shed and Rosie could see the dust dancing in it. Then she could hear Dad’s voice saying, “Are your there, Rosie?” She didn’t answer, but he came in and sat down beside her. “Tell me about the doll, Rosie.” Rosie couldn’t answer; her throat hurt too much. “I guess she’s pretty special?” he asked.

She jumped into his arms then and hid her face on his sweater. It seemed like a long time before the story was out, but she was glad when it was. When she stopped sobbing Daddy just held her close and said, “Shall we pray?” Rosie nodded.

The heavy feeling was still in her heart, but as Daddy prayed, she remembered the story from Sunday School last week. It was about the boy who was mad when his father gave a feast for his brother who had run away. He didn’t really love his brother, but just wanted him to be punished. That was how she felt about Emma.

Do you love the doll or Emma more? a little voice whispered. Rosie knew God wanted her to be happy for her sister. It seemed too hard to give up that little doll. I can’t, Rosie thought. But Jesus can help me. Would she let Him take all the anger and hard feelings away?

At last Rosie folded her hands, “O Lord, help me to love Emma and be happy. Help me, please.” It wasn’t easy to say, but as she prayed it seemed that the hard, hard place in her heart melted away. At last she could smile again.

“I want to go see how Emma likes the doll now,” Rosie said as she took Daddy’s hand. “Maybe I can get out my little tea set and we can have a party together!”